LEBANON / REFUGEE CAMP FLOOD

11-Jan-2019
00:02:49

Severe weather conditions have affected over 60 family tents in the Dalhamiya informal settlement in the Bekaa, forcing many refugees to abandon their tents and seek shelter with neighbours or relatives. UNHCR

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1. Wide shot, young girl washing the water away from her tent.
2. Tilt down, young girl washing the water away from her tent.
3. Various shots, people wading water between tents
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Juriya Ramadan, Syrian refugee:
“The water inside the tent is half a meter. We cannot wear any socks or shoes. It’s all water.”
5. Wide shot, Juriya holding her son and wading water towards her tent
6. Close up, Juriya’s legs covered with water while she’s entering inside her tent.
7. Close up, Juriya adding wet wooden sticks to the heater.
8. Med shot, stove in water.
9. Wide shot, Juriya’s son on a wooden sheet raised above water
10. Close up, Juriya’s son.
11. Wide shot, Juriya’s tent flooded while she’s holding her son
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Juriya Ramadan, Syrian refugee:
“We can’t control the situation. No clothes no shoes. It is very cold.”
13. Pan right, Juriya holding her son and leaving the tent.
14. Wide shot, big truck draining the flooded settlement.
15. Tilt up, Amina going inside her flooded tent.
16. Various shots, Amina inside her flooded tent
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amina Darak, Syrian refugee:
‘’I put the sheets on boxes and I slept on them. The mattresses and the duvets got wet. I put blankets over the wooden sheet and slept.’’
18. Close up, Amina’s legs inside water in her room.
19. Med shot, Amina sitting.
20. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amina Darak, Syrian refugee:
“I can’t even make myself a cup of tea.”
21. Wide shot, refugees receiving mattresses and blankets.
22. Med shot, refugee receiving blankets.
23. SOUNDBITE (English) Hiba Fares, UNHCR Bekaa Valley:
“We will be distributing blankets and mattresses to the most urgent cases, hoping that it makes the situation a bit easier for the upcoming nights.”
24. Med shot, Amina waiting in line to get her blankets and mattresses.
25. Med shot, UNHCR staff giving Amina blankets.
26. Close up, Juriya’s face while she was signing her receipts.
27. Wide shot, Juriya taking her mattresses.
28. Pan right, Jurya carrying her mattresses
29. Wide shot, settlement flooded.

STORYLINE

Severe weather conditions have affected over 60 family tents in the Dalhamiya informal settlement in the Bekaa, forcing many refugees to abandon their tents and seek shelter with neighbours or relatives.

The heavy rains of Storm Norma left their mark. Over 360 informal settlements were affected. Over 60 tents have been damaged in the Dalhamiya settlement alone.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Juriya Ramadan, Syrian refugee:
“The water inside the tent is half a meter. We cannot wear any socks or shoes. It’s all water.”

Juriya has to wade the ankle-deep water inside her tent, where her heater is cold since the wood is wet.

This plank sits like a raft in her living room. This is where her children sleep.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Juriya Ramadan, Syrian refugee:
“We can’t control the situation. No clothes no shoes. It is very cold.”

Humanitarian partners are draining the floodwater. But it takes time.

So, Amina Darak is forced to sleep on a platform above ankle-deep water inside her tent.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amina Darak, Syrian refugee:
‘’I put the sheets on boxes and I slept on them. The mattresses and the duvets got wet. I put blankets over the wooden sheet and slept.’’

The UNHCR and its partners have started distributing blankets and mattresses to those in most dire conditions.

SOUNDBITE (English) Hiba Fares, UNHCR Bekaa Valley:
“We will be distributing blankets and mattresses to the most urgent cases, hoping that it makes the situation a bit easier for the upcoming nights.”

Storm Norma struck Lebanon on January 8th, putting 11,000 refugees living in informal settlements at risk of extreme weather. To date 151 informal settlements across the country have been heavily impacted. Some tents have collapsed, others are flooded. Some families have had to be moved to other informal settlements and others to stay with neighbours or relatives. UNHCR has distributed mattresses, blankets and shelter kits to the most vulnerable families.